Summer Reads

With summer coming to an end (how did that happen already?!), I thought I would share some of my favorite reads.

1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
When I read Liane's book, The Husband's Secret, earlier this year I could not put it down and Big Little Lies was no different. It mixes everyday life stories with a "who done it" plot and a bit of twist....throughout the book the reader knows someone had died but it isn't until the end that you know who died, why, and who did it.

2. Friendship by Emily Gould
If you like the TV show Girls, then you will definitely love this book. It follows two friends who turned 30 and are forced to face adulthood and how it will impact their friendship.

3. All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue
I downloaded this big onto my Kindle after it was recommended by our cousin. It's an easy read (perfect for the  beach) about three childhood friends who end up at the beach where they used to spend their summers as kids. They are all at different places in their adult lives but being at the beach brings up secrets from one fateful night at the beach that impacted all of their lives.

4. Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle
Melanie Shankle is the blogger turned author who wrote this funny and honest compilation of stories about the real joys and challenges of marriage. I was laughing and nodding in agreement while reading this book.

5. Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews
I have always thought that Mary Kay Andrews writes the best books for reading on the beach and this one did not disappoint. This one is set in Savannah, GA and follows a florist who is preparing for a wedding that will help launch her career. Of course she has a few hiccups along the way and has to come to terms with her own feelings on love while helping the bride.

Next on my list is The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. What have you been reading lately?

Let's try this again....

It's been over three months since my last blog post which is definitely a record absence for me. May, June, and July brought lots of long work days and travel. To maintain a balance in my life, the blog had to take a back seat. I have missed my little piece of the internet and felt compelled to return after several family and friends asked why I had not posted in a while. I have to admit that I often think about just shutting down the blog but I know it is a good way to keep family and friends updated on our lives.

Based on my previous track record, I can guarantee that I won't blog every day or maybe even every week but I will try my best not to let so much time lapse between posts. I thought the best way to get things back on track was to share some LOTS of iPhone photos from our summer. I hope you enjoy and I promise to check back in soon!

May

On our way to a family hike in Rockcreek Park

Our favorite New Yorker (and former Washingtonian) spent Memorial Day weekend with us.

Our friends helped surprise P on his birthday for a night of baseball 

The best part was seeing his name on the screen!

June

I started June off with a conference in Colorado which meant I got to spend time with my cousin Carrie. I'm so thankful she could share this beautiful hike with me.

I checked out a Rockies game with one of my favorite people!

The day after coming home from Colorado, I joined P for the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in Georgetown. It was the furthest race I ran since having knee surgery in 2012 and it felt great to be back out there.

I got to spend lots of quality time with my goddaughter at Barnes & Noble while her mom and little brother went to a doctor's appointment. We read books and picked out a fairy princess toy since she was so well behaved.

Her little brother is getting so big! We can't wait to see him at his baptism next month.

P and I enjoyed another game at Nationals Park. Thanks to our friend John who gifted us a package of tickets as a wedding gift, we got to cheer the Nationals on several more times this summer.

At the end of June, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina for my sweet friend Erin's bachelorette weekend. Erin and I became close friends during our MBA program at GWU and were roommates during our trip to Paris. She is one of the sweetest people I know and I can't wait to celebrate her and Ed's big day in October!

July

These first four pictures are all from the same weekend.....

At the beginning of the month we saw The Lion King at the Kennedy Center. This was by far one of the best shows I have ever seen. I was so impressed with the opening scene that I got a little teary eyed as the "animals" walked in.

We spent lots of the summer cheering on the USA and Germany in the World Cup. After the USA were eliminated, we only cheered for Germany and were so excited when they won!

We celebrated the 4th of July with our friends Amanda and Jeff for the second year in a row. Thankfully Patrick works for a firm with an amazing rooftop that allows us to see the fireworks show without fighting the crowds.

At another Nationals game!

At the end of the month, we road tripped down to Corolla, North Carolina for a week at the beach with my family to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. These smiles quickly disappeared on the drive down - what was supposed to be a 6 hour drive ended up taking 10 hours.

Our view for the week. The house we stayed in was less than a block walk to the beach, It was amazing!

We discovered the coolest secret beer garden less than a mile from our house. I wish we could've gone back more than once. Thanks to my step-mom for capturing this great picture!

My sisters and I decided to test my dad's taste buds and give him a blind beer taste test. He did pretty good although we definitely threw him off with some of our choices.

August (so far)

We reunited with Calvin in August after he spent two weeks at my mom's house while we were at the beach. 

At the beginning of the month we saw the Patriots play the Redskins at FedEx Field during preseason football. Unfortunately the Patriots loss (and Tom Brady didn't play) but we had such a fun night!

Another Nationals game! Taking selfies at the game became a bit of a tradition.

This past weekend was Erin's bridal shower. It was a beautiful afternoon!

Our last regular season Nationals game on Saturday night - it was rainy and chilly. We are hoping to get playoff tickets in October!

Now you're all caught up!

Friday Randoms

Happy Friday! Just a few random things for you today.

>> This has been a long, exhausting week for P and I. We have both been logging some long days....his much longer than mine (seriously, it is not normal for people to work until 3am!!). I am so thankful I was able to get out of work a little early today and get a head start on some chores so that we can enjoy the weekend a little more.

>> Tomorrow we are headed to the sweetlife festival in Maryland. We have been before and are looking forward to a day of good music, beer and hopefully good weather. There's a chance for rain but thankfully our tickets allow us to sit in the pavilion. I am most excited to see St. Lucia, Bastille, Lana Del Ray, and Foster the People.

>> On Sunday we are celebrating Mother's Day with brunch in DC with my mom and older sister. I'm grateful both live nearby so we can celebrate together. Of course we'll be missing the little sister!

Love my mom!

>> I recently bought a few of these shirts from Gap during a sale and love them. They are so soft, a little longer than normal tees and can easily be dressed up (under a blazer and/or with a necklace) for work. They are still on sale with an additional 30% off this weekend. I highly recommend picking up a few!

>> Last Sunday I made this recipe and it was so good. We just ate the beef over rice and I had plenty of leftovers for lunch. I will definitely be making these again!


That's all I got for you. Have a great weekend!

Five on Friday - Recap Edition!

As if it wasn't obvious, my motivation to blog has hit a low point. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things this month. I thought I would use today's Five on Friday link-up to catch up on a few things that I've been up to the past month.

//1// We've gone to two Nat's games since I last blogged. As a wedding gift, our good friend John gifted us with a mini-season ticket package and now we have games to go to each month between now and September. We are excited to cheer the Nats on all season!

Opening weekend was perfect baseball weather

We were a little chilly at our second game and had to bundle up

//2// On April 13th we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful day in DC just like it was last year with Cherry Blossoms in full bloom. We had a delicious dinner at 1789 and enjoyed cake from our bakery (we opted to buy a 6 inch case instead of saving the top layer).

Yummy carrot cake!

Selfie at one of our favorite picture locations across from our church

//3// The traditional one year anniversary gift is paper and we decided there is no better paper than plane tickets. We bought tickets for our next European vacation in October! I am already counting down the months until we spend two weeks exploring Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Stuttgart, and Paris! On our way home we have an added bonus of spending 24 hours in Dublin! We cannot wait to go!

//4// Last week I got to meet my friend Aubrey's adorable son Christopher. He is such a precious baby. I also got to spend lots of quality time with our goddaughter, Taylor. I'm so blessed to have Aubrey and her sweet family in my life.

I'm so in love with this little guy

//5// Last weekend P and I drove around to check out different areas and neighborhoods where we would like to eventually buy a home. We're still about a year out from actually being ready to buy but it is fun to start looking and dreaming!


Happy Friday!!

Five on Friday!

It's another Friday which means it is time to link up with April, Christina, and Darcy for another installation of 5 on Friday. Here's what I've got for you this week:

//1// Today is my last day on the project I've been supporting for the past 1.5 years. It's bittersweet to say goodbye to some of the people I've been working with but I'm very anxious to get started on my new project. Plus I'm pretty excited about walking and metro-ing to work now!

//2// This weekend we are headed to the Nationals game. It is supposed to be sunny and in the 60s on Sunday afternoon - sounds like a perfect day for baseball!

//3// I'm anxious for the cherry blossoms to bloom. With the harsh and long winter DC had this year, the prediction was for a late bloom this year. The last prediction was that the end of next week would be the peak time.  I sure hope so, I would love to see the blossoms in full bloom as we celebrate our first wedding anniversary!

Cherry blossoms in bloom in front of church a few days before our wedding last year

//4// I cannot get enough of the San Pellegrino Limonata. It is so refreshing!

//5// My best friend and maid of honor, Aubrey, gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy early this morning! I am so excited for her and her family and can't wait to meet the handsome guy! Happy Birthday Christopher!


Happy weekend!

Charleston & Kiawah Island

Last weekend we enjoyed a great 3-day trip to Charleston and Kiawah Island with our friends Jeff & Amanda to celebrate Phil & Katie's wedding. We were thankful to escape cold and rainy DC for a few days and take in the southern charm. Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend!

Heading to the Gin Joint after an amazing dinner at Husk on Thursday night

I loved walking through Charleston and seeing all of the beautiful, historic homes

Thanks to our very informative concierge, we got the inside scoop on hidden alleys and cemeteries in Charleston.

This was one of my favorite courtyards. The home is owned by descendants of the man who introduced the poinsettia to the United States.

On Saturday afternoon we all took a walk along the beach. We professed our love in the sand. =)

Pre-ceremony drinks on the lawn near the 18th hole overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

Then it was time for the wedding! We could not be happier for Phil & Katie!

At the reception. You can see the chairs from the ceremony in the bottom left corner.

Our last stop after leaving Kiawah Island was to Angel Oak. It is an incredible tree.

This was my first trip to the Charleston area and I am looking forward to going back in June for a bachelorette weekend!